Parke Cemetery Mass

What to Expect

Castlebar Parish holds its annual cemetery Mass at Parke Cemetery on Friday 21 August at 7pm, the second of the parish’s two August cemetery Masses. As with the earlier Mass at Turlough, this is an outdoor liturgy celebrated among the graves, giving families and past parishioners a chance to gather and pray at the resting places of relatives buried at Parke. The tradition is common across rural Irish parishes each summer, with dates set by the parish rather than falling on a fixed Sunday, and it draws people back to the area specifically for the occasion, including some who have moved away. Expect a shorter liturgy than a normal Sunday Mass, built around prayers of remembrance, hymns, and the recitation of names of those buried in the cemetery.

Parke lies in the townland of the same name south-west of Castlebar, and the cemetery is one of several the parish maintains outside the town itself. Coming a week after the Turlough Cemetery Mass, this second August cemetery Mass rounds off a busy month for Castlebar Parish, which also includes the National Novena at Knock and the Feast of the Assumption. The two cemetery Masses are announced together in the parish newsletter each summer, giving families with graves at both locations advance notice to plan around them.

Good to Know

• Date and time: Friday 21 August 2026 at 7:00pm
• Venue: Parke Cemetery, Parke, near Castlebar, Co. Mayo
• Price: Free, open to all
• This is an annual fixture in the Castlebar Parish calendar, held each August alongside the Turlough Cemetery Mass on 14 August
• Held outdoors, so bring a coat or umbrella in case of rain
• Check the Castlebar Parish newsletter or call the parish office (094 902 1844) nearer the date to confirm timing
• No formal booking needed - simply attend on the evening

Getting There

Parke is a small rural area a short drive south-west of Castlebar, near the N84 towards Ballinrobe. There is limited roadside and cemetery parking for the Mass, so allow extra time on the evening. Castlebar town, five to ten minutes away by car, is served by Bus Eireann and rail connections from Dublin, Galway and Westport, with Ireland West Airport Knock around 30 minutes further on for visitors flying in.